In the end, I was delighted that I couldn’t make this particular restaurant’s opening night fête. I was already booked when the invitation to party at Bari Ristorante, the sizzling new upscale Italian restaurant in River Oaks District, arrived in my in-box. The result was that I was invited the previous night for the full on dining experience.

And oh what an experience. Had I joined the throng, 500 strong, at the opening party, I would have missed the full impact of the sophisticated, creative interiors that Bari partner Pedro Teyuca took pride in revealing.